The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced new coastal programs, valued at more than $170 million, to benefit coastal communities, which are among some of the most vulnerable, poor, and marginalized groups. The announcement took place at the “Our Ocean” Conference hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry. These programs will support marine conservation, sustainable fisheries, coastal adaptation and efforts to combat illegal fishing and wildlife trafficking in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

Yangon – Today at a signing ceremony attended by U.S. Ambassador Derek J. Mitchell and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Chris Milligan, Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) announced that the company is partnering with USAID to invest in the social and economic growth. By producing its products from two factories in Yangon, Gap Inc. becomes the first American retailer to enter the Myanmar market. The company’s partnership with USAID will help lay the foundation for Gap Inc. to provide growth and economic opportunities for women in the country.

In support of our shared priorities, USAID will be investing in programs to support the development of Djibouti’s labor force and energy sector. Working hand-in-hand with the Government of Djibouti, these targeted investments will unlock opportunity, reduce extreme poverty, and promote innovation.

Today, the United States and Tunisia signed a loan guarantee agreement which will allow Tunisia to access up to $500 million in affordable financing from international capital markets. The loan guarantee underscores the United States’ commitment to the people of Tunisia and their democratic transition. The loan guarantee agreement is designed to support Tunisia as it pursues important reforms that will provide the foundation for economic growth and prosperity.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah will travel to Djibouti and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 3-4, to meet with African and U.S. Government officials to discuss support for sustainable energy and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

ON FRIDAY, May 30, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah will travel to Toronto, Canada, to participate in a global summit on maternal, newborn, and child health, hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The summit will bring together global leaders to discuss how to reduce preventable deaths associated with pregnancy, child birth, and the first 5 years of life in the developing world. Shah will discuss USAID’s high-impact, evidence-based interventions that help save the lives of 6 million children under the age of 5 each year.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today its support for the Althelia Climate Fund to lend up to $133.8 million in commercial financing for forest conservation and sustainable land use, helping to remove 100 million tons of carbon—the equivalent of 18.5 million cars—from our atmosphere.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today a new effort to reduce the number of chronically malnourished or stunted children by at least 2 million over the next five years and hold global acute malnutrition below the agreed emergency threshold of 15 percent in places with humanitarian crises, like South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Overall, the new 360-degree approach unveiled today by National Security Advisor Susan Rice and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah will cut the rate of stunting by 20 percent in places where USAID works.

The United States today announced nearly $300 million in humanitarian assistance to help the people of South Sudan who have been placed at risk by the conflict that began last December. The additional funding was announced at the Humanitarian Pledging Conference for South Sudan in Oslo, Norway where we joined more than 40 other countries in pledging support to help those displaced inside the country, as well as those who have fled to neighboring countries.

On THURSDAY, MAY 22, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah will give remarks during the luncheon program at the Chicago Council Global Food Symposium 2014 in Washington, D.C. The topic of Administrator Shah’s remarks is, “Tackling Extreme Poverty at the Roots: A New Model of Development.” The Hon. Dan Glickman, former Secretary of Agriculture, will introduce Administrator Shah. Following Shah’s remarks, the Administrator will join Dr. Agnes Kalibata, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources for the Republic of Rwanda, in a discussion moderated by Roger Thurow, Senior Fellow, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Plant Disease Threatens Production and Jobs for Millions in Latin America & the Caribbean

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced a $5 million partnership with the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M University to eliminate coffee rust, a plant disease that has caused more than $1 billion in economic damage across Latin America and the Caribbean since 2012 and seriously threatens the livelihoods and food security of those who make their living in the coffee industry, especially small farmers.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah announced today that President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative has reached nearly 7 million smallholder farmers and helped to save 12.5 million children from the threat of hunger, poverty, and malnutrition in just the last year alone.

Plant Disease Threatens Production and Jobs for Millions in Latin America & the Caribbean

Global leaders today praised President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative for reaching nearly 7 million smallholder farmers and helping to save 12.5 million children from the threat of hunger, poverty, and malnutrition in just the last year alone.

On May 15, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance began airlifting life-saving relief supplies to the Central African Republic (CAR), where ongoing violence has left an estimated 2.5 million people—more than half the country’s population—in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

Today, the National Bank of Ukraine, acting on behalf of the government of Ukraine, closed on its offering of a $1 billion sovereign bond, guaranteed by the United States of America, acting through the U.S. Agency for International Development. This guarantee demonstrates the strong U.S. commitment to the people of Ukraine, enabling Ukraine to access affordable financing from international capital markets.

On MONDAY, MAY 19, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah and guests from across the public and private sectors will gather in Arlington, Va., to announce four years of results from President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative.

USAID is pleased with the Electrify Africa Act of 2014 passed today by the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support. We thank Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ed Royce, Ranking Member Eliot Engel, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa Chris Smith, and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa Karen Bass for their leadership on H.R. 2548, and look forward to working with the Senate on complementary legislation.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today celebrates its support of the delivery of 1 billion Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) treatments that are helping more than 465 million people in 25 countries in some of the world’s poorest populations.